Slack-adjuster.



No. 823,095. PATENTED JUNE 12, 1906. C. 0. ANDERSUN.

SLACK ADJUSTBR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 26. i965.

Br 7mm@ www@ CMMM- ArroHNE/s UNITED STATES v PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES OSCAR ANDERSON, OF

OMAHA, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR. OF ONE- HALF TO A. T. AUSTIN, OF

OMAHA, NEBRASKA,

stack -Aoousrer-i.

Specification of Letters Patent.

g-atented June 12, 190B.

To all whom it -ntayconcerng Be it known that I, CHARLES Oscar. AN- DERSON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Omaha, inthe county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented a new and Improved Slack-Adjuster, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to a means for autornatically taking up slack which may occur in the brake-ri gin of railway-cars, due to wear on the bra e-s oes or other parts.

The invention res'des in certain specialisatures of construction and combinations of parts, which will be fully set forth in the specification, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawing, which represents a side elevation of the invention in practical adjustment.

indicates a part of the framing of the car to -which the lnvention is applied. For instance, 10 may be taken to indicate the bolster-bar of a modern street-ear truck. 11 indicates the main brake-lever, which is connected throu h a rod 12 with means for operating the bra e, which may be either manual or automatic, as desired. Said lever is pivoted by a pin 14 to aninternally-threaded bar 15, in which operates one end of a ri ht and left hand threaded screw 16. The ot er end of the said screw o eratesin an internally-threaded sleeve or ar 17, which is pivo to a lever 18. Said lever` is ulcrurned on the truck and has a connection 19 with one of the brake-beams. Y A third brake-lever 20 is hung from abracket 1()iL on the bolster 1() and carries at its lower end a suitable connection 21 extending to the second brakebeam of the truck. The levers il and 20 are connected by a pivot-pin 22, which projects laterally beyond the lever 11 for the purpose which will hereinafter fully appear. Now it is clear that by exertin a tension on the lever 11, so as to throw t c same in the position indicated by the broken lines in the drawing, the levers 18 and 2O will be swung apart from each other to ap ly the brakes.

The right and left hand t eaded s crew 16 has an anglular portion 23 formed on or secured to t e same, and tnis is received in a correspondingly-formed slee ve 24, the sleeve engaging the angular portion, so that the screw is forced to turn with the sleeve. 25

Y treme indicates a spring encircling the screw and bearing between the enlarged portion 23 and an interior shoulder 24, formed at one end of the sleeve 24, this spring serving to press the sleeve snugly up against thc tubular bar or member l5, as the drawing shows. The sleeve is 4provided with an annular groove 24", receiving the end of said bar 15 and forming a bearing around which the sleeve may freely turn. At the end of the sleeve having sald bearing a ratchet 26 is arranged. This ratchet is referably formed integral with the sleeve, a though any other construction may oe resorted to which will firmly conneet the sleeve and ratchet. Mounted to swing around the center of the pin 14 is an elbow-lever 2?, one arm of which carries a ivoted dog 28, which has a spring 29 holding the dog yieldingly engaged with the ratchet 26, as shown. The other arm of the elbow-lever 27 is formed with a loop or yoke 29 thereon, and this loosely receives the before-referred-to projecting end of the pin 22. The left-hand end of said loop or yoke 29a is provided with a set-screw 30, which operates in lhe loop and which may be adjusted at w1 In the operation of the device, assuming that the brake-rigging has been setup taut for the first o eration, the screv..f 30 should be adjusted so t at when the lever 11 is thrown over to apply the brakes and reaches its exosition said screw will be barely engaged hy the lever. After continuous use the brake-shoes will wear down on their surfaces, and the brake-riggin `will thus become slack, requiring that the ever 11 may be thrown over farther in order eilectually to apply the brakes. When this is done, the screw 30 is engaged by the pin 22 and tho lever 27 rocks around the pin 14, thus causing the dog 28 to ride up on the ratchet 26 and engage the same in a new position. Then when the lever 1l is allowed to return upon the release of the brakes, since the elbow-lever 27 is in a new osition, the pin 22 will strike the right-han( end of the loop 2Q and throw the lever back, thus imparting a turning movement to the sleeve which is transmltted to the screw 16, and said screw is turned into the threaded members 1.5 and l?, thus spreading them apart and lengthening the distance between the same. This will take up the slack in the rigging and allow the brakes to be applied without imparting to the lever 1l a more than ordinary stroke. It will thus be seen that the device operates iiutomatically and each time that the brakerigging sliiclis the screw 16 will be tui-ned to tautcn the connections. lt will also bc ob served that this operation ofthescrew is not brought about when the rigging is under tension, but onl after the brakes havebecn released and t ie pressure on the rigging 1 s relaxed. The apparatus may be used on either hand or power brakes and will not interfere with the employment of the usual manually- .operated slack adjustment.

Having thus described the preferred form 0f my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a slack-adjuster, the combination of two internallyhreaded brake-riggi v inembers, a right and left hand threads screw engaged in the same, a sleeve slidably in ounted on the screw and en afred therewith, a ratchet in connection wit the sleeve, a pa w1 coacting with the ratchet, and means actuated by a part of the brake-rigging for driv- 'ing the pawl, g

2. In a slack-adjuster the combination with parts of a brake-rigging, of an adjustable connection between t e same, means for operating said connection including a ratchet, a pawl eoacting with the ratchet, and an elbow-lever carrying the pawlz the elbow-lever having a yoke loosely receivin a parton the swinging member of the bra e-rigging, for the purpose specified.

3. In a slack-ad'uster, the combination with parts of a bra e-rigo'ing, of an adjust able connection between the same, means for operating said connection includingaratchet, a pawl coactinglwith the ratchet, an elbowlever carry'n t e pawl, the elbowdever having a yoke oosely receiving a part on the swinging member of the brakerigging, for the purpose specified, and an adjustment-screw arranged 1n said yoke. 0

4. n a brake-rigging the combination of a means in connection with a brake-beam, a lever, an adjustable connection joined to said means and said lever, a second lever, a means connecting the second lever with a second brake-beam, a pivot between the two levers, and devices for adjusting the said adjustable connection which devices include a lever, the fiilcrum of' which is coincident to the joint b etwcen the first lever and said adjustable connection.

5. In a brake-rigging the winbiiiction ol' iiy means in connection with a brake-beam, a lever, an adjustable connection joined to scid means and to said lover, ii second lever, a means connecting the second lever with ii. second broke-beam, a pivot between the two lovers, iind devices for nd'llsting the said iidjustable connection, wliiclli devices include :in

ellmwdever, the Iulcruin of which is coincident to the joint between the first lever and said adjustable connection.

6. In a broke-rigging the combination of a means in connection with a brake-beam, a lever, an adjustable connection joined to said means and to scid lever, a second lever, a means connecting the second lover with a second brakedxeam, a pivot between the two levers, and devices for ad'usting thc said adjustable connection, whic devices include a lever, the fulcriiin of which is coincident to the joint between the first lever and said adjustable connection, and a pin coincident to the pivot connecting the two levers the pin being connected with one end of the lastnamcd lever to have limited movement independently thereof.

7. In 'a brake-rigging the combination of a lever, a means in connection with a brake beam, an ad'ustable connection pivoted to the lever an said means, a second lever, a second means in connection with a brakebeam to which the second lever is connected, adpivot joinin the two levers and means for a justing sai adjustable connection which means include a lever having its ulcrum coincident to the pivot between the first lever and said adjustable connection.

8. In a brake-ligging the combination of a lever, a means in connection with a brakebeam, an adustable connection pivoted to the lever an said means, a second lever, a second means in connection with a brakebeam to which the second lever is connected, afjvot joinin the two levers and means for a jnsting sai adjustable connection which means include a lever having its fulcrum coincident to the pivot between the first lever and said adjustable connect-ion, and devices actuated by excessive movement of the first named lever for operating the last-named ever.

9. In a brake-rigging the combination of al lever, a means in connection with a brakebeam, an ad'ustable connection pivoted to the lever and said means, a second lever, a second means in connection with a brakebeani to which the second lever is connected, a pivot joining the two levers means for adjusting said ad'listable connection which means include ii lever having its fulcrum coincident to the pivot between the first lever and said adjustable connection, and n. pin coincident to the pivot. between the two firstiiamed levers, said pin having connection with one end of the third lever and such connection nllowin the pin limited independcntii'iovcnicnt or the purpose specified.

Il). ln il. biiikc-riggingthe combi nation of n. level, a second lover, a pivot connecting the two, ii means in connection with a hiiikcbciiin, im iul'iistablc connection between thc liistmamcd llcvcr and said mciiiis, ii means in connection with. iisecond bnikc-bi-iim and llo Ils

connected to the second lever, devices for adjusting seid adjustable connection, s lever for actuating seid devices, end Ineens for opereting the third lever by the movement of the first two levers.

11, In a brake-1igging the combination of a lever, a. second lever, a pivot connecting the two, a Ineens in connection with a brekebeem, an adjustable connection between the first-named lever and said means, e means in connection with Ia second brake-beam end connected to the second lever, devices for adjusting said adjustable connection, e lever for actuating said devices, and means foroperating the third lever by the movement of the first two levers, the third lever having its fulcrum coincident to the point of connection between the rst lever and the seid adjustable connection.

12. In e brake-ligging the combination ofa lever, e means connected to a breke-bem, an adjustable connection between seid means and scid lever, a second lever pivoted to the first lever, a. second means connected to a.

brake-beam and to the second lever, a means for adjusting the said adjustable connection, and an elbow-lever for operating the lestnamed means, the elbowdever being fulcrumed coincident to the connection between the first-named lever end the said adjustable connection and engaged with limited independent movement by the pivot between the two first-named levers.

, 13. In a. brake-riggin with two members thereo ably connecting them, e sleeve arranged to slide on the screw, the screw turnin with the sleeve, a, spring-bearing between t 1e sleeve and a part of the screw for the ur ose specied, and e means for turnin t e s eeve.

In testimony whereof I eve signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES OSCAR ANDERSON.

Witnesses FRANK CHRISTMANN, JOHN HULTGREN.

the combination of a screw edgust- 

